


Molten Light

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ba Sing Se, Blind Character, Episode: s02e18 The Earth King, Flash Fic, Gen, Older Work, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Zuko's crisis worsens, and he lays in bed unresponsive. Iroh seeks help.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 92
Collections: Anonymous





	Molten Light

When Iroh first came to them, his kind smile tinged with melancholy, they could not help but give in and listen to his pleas.

Katara remembers the moment vaguely now as she steps into the small Lower Ring apartment - the passing impression of warm tea clinging to her fingers long after the liquid was gone, the over-bright look in General Iroh’s eyes as he begged them to help, to heal, his nephew.

It was not hard to cave to his will. The desperation had them almost running to reach Iroh’s home in time.

Entering the apartment is painful - a powerful, wavering heat radiates from the makeshift infirmary bed on the floor. There, huddled into several tattered blankets, a form lies silently, curled in on himself. She reaches out with her waterbending for a trace of life in him, for a possibility of healing, and she finds it but it is fading fast, his body wasting, liquids burning and evaporating from his own bending. Katara notices other details too, juxtaposed against her original image of him - the sickly jut of his shoulders now compared to the well-defined shoulders of _back then_ , the starch-white skin stretched thin and taunt compared to the healthy ease of _back then_. It strikes her then that she is seeing a completely different person than the one from _back then_ , weaker and sicker and falling to shambles and suddenly, Katara is scared. She's not scared of him - of Zuko, Lee, Prince-Fugitive of the Fire Nation, whomever he may be - for once, she is scared for him.

She swallows, but the lump in her throat remains. Aang is already kneeling by the time she falls to her knees next to the mat, water rushing out of her canteen with a flick of her wrists and probing out its target. She turns to Iroh - _Mushi_ \- and asks what ailment Zuko - _Lee_ \- is suffering from, because from the way his body puts off heat and nearly rejects her healing water, the fever cannot be absolutely natural.

Iroh looks her in the eye, assures her that the fever is completely natural for firebenders. “His body is suffering,” he says to her. “But not because of any ailment of the body, but an ailment of the mind.”

She remembers Jet, the way his broken mind tore and reformed under her bending. Cautiously, she speaks: “Is it… ?”

Iroh eyes her knowingly. “No, it's not.”

Aang sits next to her, solemn yet nervous - the desperate energy of a boy shaken to his roots. He brings his fingers up, and asks Katara quietly: “What should I do?”

She glances at him from the side, still concentrated on the feeling of water and flesh before her. She tells him to wake Zuko up, to keep him awake, not dying.

He complies and turns Zuko onto his back, murmuring softly to him. Katara catches random snippets of what Aang's saying - _remember,_ _asked, we could be friends_ \- but she doesn't question, because whatever Aang is saying is making Zuko stir. His heart shifts into a faster rhythm. He's awake, finally.

He tells something to Aang, his voice tinged with vague delirium, and Aang pokes her on the shoulder. She scowls, almost, but turns to him and sees him gesturing to Zuko’s face. Aang’s eyes are alight with worry. “I think you need to see this,” he says, almost hesitantly.

Her water flows up Zuko as she leans over and sees what Aang’s talking about - unfocused eyes, usually an indicator for a concussion or delirium.

But that's not the case now. His eyes are burning like the rest of his body, bright gold-yellow, not dark amber, pupil clouded and obscure. She can't pin it down, she's never seen anyone's eyes change color like this and -

“Firebenders eyes turn yellow when they go blind,” Iroh says softly, glancing down morosely at his nephew.

 _Oh_ , Katara thinks. _Oh no_.

**Author's Note:**

> Cleaning out my writing folder and found this short piece. Thought it was good enough to post. I believe I wrote it in response to some kinkmeme prompt years ago, but never managed to post it. The kinkmeme prompt was something along the lines of "firebender's eyes go yellow when blind", from what I recall.


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